Letter to the Editor:
Health care numbers need a second look
Published Oct. 16, 2009
To the editors:
The Oct. 13 article "College Democrats, Republicans talk health care," cites a figure of 47 million uninsured Americans. This oft-quoted statistic is actually a gross overestimation of the problem, as recent research suggests the number of Americans who cannot currently afford health insurance is much lower.
A new study by Dr. June O'Neill, who served as director of the Congressional Budget Office from 1995-1999, shows that nearly half of those uninsured Americans could likely afford to purchase health coverage. The average "voluntarily uninsured" household makes $65,000 per year.
We should not rush into the creation of a new, expensive health care system without a better understanding of the uninsured population. As long as we continue basing our arguments on inaccurate numbers, it's hard to see how we can make effective policy decisions.
11:46 a.m., Oct. 16, 2009
Brandon said:
While she is stating the facts on the 47 million, why the hell is a think-tank analyst and member of front groups sending a letter to a campus student group? Is she from Missouri, Columbia or what? I didn't realize think-tanks read through ALL the student newspapers to see which to reply to. Seems a little odd.